New Frontlines

[Isala]

Since it's release, players have done nothing but blame various aspects of the game mode for their losses instead of taking responsibility for their own poor performances.

I know you've seen the posts in here, where teams of silvers are matched against unranked and bronze. Don't pretend this is just an learn to play problem. Yes, there are a lot of learn to play problems, but the biggest issue is, and always has been the matchmaking. The second biggest issue is the match throwers who are still, as of yet, unbanned.

[Februs]

I know you've seen the posts in here, where teams of silvers are matched against unranked and bronze. Don't pretend this is just an learn to play problem. Yes, there are a lot of learn to play problems, but the biggest issue is, and always has been the matchmaking. The second biggest issue is the match throwers who are still, as of yet, unbanned.

I have seen the posts, but I don't buy that this makes the matchmaking somehow "broken" or "unfair." Matchmaking is not perfect, sure, but is that really surprising? The game tries to create even matches based on the ranks of available players, but unless the number of players active in each rank is completely even, then there is no way in hell that the teams would be perfectly balanced. Someone, somewhere, is bound to get the shaft and have an unbalanced set of ranks. That's a given, and there's not really a whole lot that SE can do about it.

Further, a player's ranking is not the be all end all of their skill. A bronze player does not, necessarily, suck. They might just not have time to play as frequently as a gold player. I'm not saying that losses don't happen because of bad teams. They do. It happens to everyone, but that's the point. It happens to everyone. We all have the same odds of getting a good or bad team. Which is the same in this game as it is in any competitive game. All you can do is play the hand you're dealt, especially because getting an unbalanced set or ranks across the two teams does not automatically equate a loss. Playing well can make all the difference. If you need proof of that, then you only need to look at the leader boards. I've seen the top solo-queued players range anywhere from 60-80% victory rates. You mean to tell me that they're all just super lucky? Somehow I doubt that.

Bottom line is that if people spent more time trying to improve and make the best of the matches they get rather than complaining about the system being somehow "unfair," then Feast wouldn't be nearly as toxic as it is now. Bad luck happens, sure, but it happens to us all. In any other game you are expected to roll with the punches. Why should this game be different?

[P4X0R10N]

Meh... Feast failed cuz it wasn't fun... For arena type pvp you need a more engaging, active combat system with a high skill cap where well timed, well thought out executions have a nearly game-finishing outcome. That way you get momentum and excitement. I think that's why MOBAs are somewhat fun to play (and watch)--the right move (or the wrong move by your opponent) will lead to big can of whoop-ass.

But I guess such a game wouldn't appeal to "casuals" (whatever that means...) cuz it would require such a huge upfront time cost to get decent at...

So we're left with this button-mashing, facerolling, snooze fest that is the feast...

No amount of rewards can make up for unfun gameplay.

[Cleanse]

Meh... Feast failed cuz it wasn't fun... For arena type pvp you need a more engaging, active combat system with a high skill cap where well timed, well thought out executions have a nearly game-finishing outcome. That way you get momentum and excitement. I think that's why MOBAs are somewhat fun to play (and watch)--the right move (or the wrong move by your opponent) will lead to big can of whoop-ass.

But I guess such a game wouldn't appeal to "casuals" (whatever that means...) cuz it would require such a huge upfront time cost to get decent at...

So we're left with this button-mashing, facerolling, snooze fest that is the feast...

No amount of rewards can make up for unfun gameplay.

The Feast definitely has a lot higher skillcap than you're giving it credit for. There are _maybe_ a handful of people even close to that level and can write things off as a snoozefest.

[Februs]

Materia would be very nice, but completely irrelevant to PvP

You basically hit the nail on the head right here. The thing is, the selection supplied by Wolf Marks vendors doesn't have to be relevant to PvP. As long as it is encouraging people to queue for PvP to get more marks, it's already doing it's job. Getting people to queue for matches is what makes every item in the vendor selection relevant, and the best way to get it to do this is to broaden its selection to include a much wider market of interest.

Personally, what I would really, REALLY, like to see is a complete overhaul of the Wolf Marks vendors to include:

• Mounts:
  For multiple reasons. Mostly, I'd like to see new PvP mounts, but this could also be used to give people an alternative means of getting old mounts from outdated game modes (ie: the 3 GC specific horses ... assuming SE doesn't make the same GC restriction mistakes with Shatter that they did with all the other FL modes)
  
  
• Minions:
  Same concept as the Mounts. I'd like some new ones and an alternative method of getting old ones other than running the same dungeons 1 billion times and hoping for a drop.
  
  
• GC specific items from all 3 GC's:
  This would include every item that is provide in exchange for GC seals as well as the GC specific gear that is normally reserved for hunts marks. It would save people the trouble of having to swap GC's just to get an outfit they like.
  
  
• Materia:
  Because literally everyone can find a use for it, even non-crafters. We already get level IV materia for top end beast tribe quests and one level V materia a week for Void Arc. There's no reason we shouldn't get some for PvP.
  
  
• Crafting supplies:
  Besides the fact that these things are also used to craft the PvP gear sets, it would also be nice to give crafters an incentive to play an actual game mode rather than just spend their time grinding away for supplies. I don't craft, myself, but I know their are crafters out there who would love this alternative.
  
  
• Tomestone items:
  This would include almost all of the tomestone items provided at Rowena's house of splendors. Anything below the maximum leveled gear would be fair game. Relic items are a definite must have (especially at their ridiculous grind and cost). etc.

The list could go on and on, and with each item added, more people would have a reason to cap their Wolf Marks rather than just shrug it off. On top of Wolf Marks, what I would also like to see is a special token system implemented for items that are considered too special for simple purchase (such as level V materia, high capacity tomestones, top end Mounts, etc). I don't think it would be too much work for them to do, because they've already done it for practically every extreme Primal as well as various other weekly quests. Ideally, these tokens would work the same way (ie: the challenge log, a repeatable quest, or FL roulette once Shatter is implemented). After you attain a certain number of tokens, you can trade them in for the super special items, such as more exclusive mounts, level V materia, tomestone gear upgrades, etc.

If they had a vendor system like this, then people would have more than enough reason to keep queuing for PvP.

[Morningstar1337]

• Mounts:
  For multiple reasons. Mostly, I'd like to see new PvP mounts, but this could also be used to give people an alternative means of getting old mounts from outdated game modes (ie: the 3 GC specific horses ... assuming SE doesn't make the same GC restriction mistakes with Shatter that they did with all the other FL modes)
• Minions:
  Same concept as the Mounts. I'd like some new ones and an alternative method of getting old ones other than running the same dungeons 1 billion times and hoping for a drop.

Good idea, it would be interesting but I think i'd prefer new minions more

• Materia:
  Because literally everyone can find a use for it, even non-crafters. We already get level IV materia for top end beast tribe quests and one level V materia a week for Void Arc. There's no reason we shouldn't get some for PvP.

Also a great idea, albeit one that already there.

• Crafting supplies:
  Besides the fact that these things are also used to craft the PvP gear sets, it would also be nice to give crafters an incentive to play an actual game mode rather than just spend their time grinding away for supplies. I don't craft, myself, but I know their are crafters out there who would love this alternative.

Now that I think about it, it would be an interesting appotunity to introduce the animal liege models to other classes as new gear, like the Swan Model for Casters, the Dragon Model for Dragoons, the Snake Model for Ninjas, etc

• Tomestone items:
  This would include almost all of the tomestone items provided at Rowena's house of splendors. Anything below the maximum leveled gear would be fair game. Relic items are a definite must have (especially at their ridiculous grind and cost). etc.

Isn't it a little redundant withthe GC system, since there is some Overlap :P

[Februs]

Isn't it a little redundant withthe GC system, since there is some Overlap :P

Not necessarily. There isn't a relic grind that exists in this game that wouldn't benefit from additional ways of doing it, and any of the items which overlap are outdated items anyway. In any case, I was referring more to the more current set of relic items in that post (unidentified shells, bones, ore and seeds as well as the aetheric oil for the current step). Those items would be far from redundant, because you don't actually get themfrom your GC. You get them from the hunt vendor using allied seals.

Regardless, the main reason for including these items (redundant or otherwise) is to keep people who like to PvP in PvP. Take the current relic weapon, for example. Right now, the only way to farm items for it is to farm tomes, do your daily beast tribe quests, and hunt for seals. At one point or another, in order to finish your relic you are forced to stop PvP'ing. If we're talking about keeping PvP queues alive, then this isn't a very good system to be working under. PvE'ers are rewarded just for queuing for content they enjoy. By comparison, PvP'ers risk falling behind. The current vendor system basically punishes us for queuing for the game mode we like to play. That's not right, and if SE is truly interested in keeping things alive then they should take another look at how evenly they distribute incentives across the different game modes.